Oregon Demolition Pros Talk Scrap Metal Recycling Benefits

This infographic explores how scrap metal recycling positively impacts both the environment and consumers. It also explores how demolition contractors are involved in recycling building materials, and how they ensure scrap metal is useful.

In the United States, over 150 million tons of scrap materials are recycled which includes 85 million tons of iron and steel, 5.5 million tons of aluminum, 2 million tons of stainless steel, 1.8 million tons of copper, 1.2 million tons of lead and 420,000 tons of zinc.

To put it mildly, that’s a lot of scrap metal. All of that makes the United States scrap metal industry worth 38 billion dollars, and the revenue from the United States’ scrap metal exports totaled 21 billion in 2014.

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6 thoughts on “Oregon Demolition Pros Talk Scrap Metal Recycling Benefits”

  1. My husband and I have a few scrap metal parts from a very old car that we tried to fix a while ago. We are thinking about recycling the metal and I am glad that I found this article because I had no idea that there are so many benefits of recycling. You make a great point that recycling metal will help to reduce air and water pollution. Also, the fact that it helps to create jobs and boosts the economy makes me feel like recycling my metal will make a positive difference in my community!

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  2. I was very surprised that recycling scrap metal can reduce the pollution in both the water and the air by over 70%! My mother is very environmentally conscious, and she is always trying to find ways to reduce her carbon footprint. I will be sure to tell her that she should try to recycle any of her old metal appliances around the house.

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  3. Wow, I had no idea that the scrap industry generates 108.81 billion dollars each year. The impact that recycling has is amazing! My kids were asking my wife and me why we recycle, and I told them it was good for the environment. However, I began to wonder what else recycling might do for society as well. Thanks for the information-I’ve learned a lot!

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  4. I had no idea that using recycled steel products could reduce water pollution by up to 76%. My wife and I try to buy recycled products whenever we can so we can be more green. We might have to look into recycling our old scrap metal too so we don’t contribute to the 480 million tons of waste. Thanks for sharing!

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  5. I thought it was really awesome how you mentioned that recycling scrap metal can reduce pollution by 300-500 million tons. My husband and I just got done with a project in our backyard and we have a lot of left over scrap metal to get rid of. This seems like a great idea to keep in mind and look into for the scraps. Thanks for the great information.

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  6. It’s interesting that recycling has so many different benefits. It makes sense that it would prevent waste! I’ll make sure that I recycle any scrap metal that’s on my property.

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